NORTHBOROUGH — As mourners lined the roadside in solemn tribute, Brian K. Arsenault, a US Army paratrooper killed in combat in Afghanistan, was remembered in his hometown Tuesday as a hero, an openhearted, generous spirit who found "beauty in the smallest of moments."
Hundreds attended funeral services for Arsenault, who died of injuries sustained during a firefight with enemy forces Sept. 4, and scores more gathered outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church to pay their respects.
"I'm so grateful for his sacrifice," said Scott Mitchell, 55. "That's why I'm here."
Arsenault, 28, enlisted in 2011 and was scheduled to complete his tour in Afghanistan in November. He joined the 82d Airborne Division and was a grenadier with B Company, First Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, First Brigade Combat Team.
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Arsenault's family asked that services be private. But from a loudspeaker, sounds of the service carried outside, where mourners bowed their heads in silence and wiped away tears.
"It's just so sad," said Paula Vanarsdell. "It breaks your heart."
Inside the church, Eliot Arsenault recalled his cousin's loyal, fun-loving nature.
"I know from the bottom of my broken heart I will always smile when I think of him," he said.
Outside the church, many expressed frustration over the long-running conflict overseas, which continues to take American lives well over a decade after it began.
"Take them out of there," said Vanarsdell, a longtime Northborough resident who knows the Arsenaults well. "We're never going to win this war."
The Arsenault family is well known in Northborough, a town of about 15,000 west of Boston, and the death has left the town deeply shaken, residents said. Arsenault is believed to be the first service member from Northborough to die in a major conflict since the Vietnam War.
"It's just too close to home," Cynthia Kerekon, 48, said outside the church. "It's heartbreaking."
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Kerekon attended Monday's wake and was heartened that so many people came to pay their respects. She said she grieved for his family and for a promising life that ended too soon. "As a mom myself, I can't imagine," she said. "It makes my heart sad. He should be home."
Arsenault's military awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the NATO Medal.
Earlier this month, Arsenault's father, Daniel, recalled his son as a free spirit who had "forever touched so many lives."
"As a family, the sorrow is unbearable," he said.
Arsenault graduated in 2004 from Algonquin Regional High School, where he played hockey and baseball. When he was on leave, he would reunite with many of his old friends, his father said.
Across the street from the church, residents paused to listen to the service, standing in a light rain in respectful silence.
John Morton, holding a large American flag, said it was an honor to pay tribute to a fallen hero.
"I figured this was the least I could do," he said. He extended his sympathies to the family, and tried to fathom the depths of their loss. He has a young son himself.
"If something happened to him, I don't know if life would be worth living," he said.
Mitchell, who helped Morton hold the flag, said that Arsenault's death has stunned the small town. It's a place where most people know one another and feel a kinship even if they do not know the Arsenault family.
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"I feel like I did know him," he said. "I've been feeling [his death] since it happened."
Over the loudspeaker, a eulogist said, "We have broken hearts that will last a lifetime."
Near the end of the service, mourners saluted as the national anthem played, and they remained until the church bells fell silent.
Thomas Farragher of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globepete.